Schedule of Classes

An introduction to the process of game development with an emphasis on iterative design.

Tools and aesthetics of media production: word processing, photography, audio production, videography. Visual literacy. The desktop computer interface. Desktop publishing, presentation software, multimedia documents. Internet navigation and page production. Credit by examination available.

Process of narrative structures development, storyboarding techniques, and the digital tools and applications necessary for the creation of animation. Writings, pre-visualization, presentation, and pre-production for many different types of media.

Principles of design for digital devices. Emphasis is on user interfaces and experiences.

Front-end development techniques and practices for website user interfaces and experiences. The course will be taught through lectures, demonstrations, and exercises using applications and scripting languages.

Introduction to the use of various scripting languages in different animation software environments.

This course establishes a baseline for game discourse through lectures on play histories, genres, and mechanics, and by direct engagement with a number of types of games including tabletop and video games.

This course investigates the history of comics, their formal characteristics, and their contributions as vital expressions of humanity and culture.

Presentations by faculty, alumni, and other professionals in the field allow students to make connections serving their academic and professional pursuits. Students will also engage in additional career development activities including portfolio creation, resum authoring, career research, networking, and engagement in public festivals and presentations of their works. Repeatable for up to a maximum of 8 credit hours. Crosslisted with I M 426.

Building on the foundational skills developed in IM 130 Game Art Fundamentals, this course is an exploration into more advanced concepts, tools, and techniques needed to create optimized and visually appealing artwork for video games. Topics include: asset creation for game engines, art workflows and pipelines, art styles in games, and asset optimization.

This course is an introduction to the foundational concepts, tools, and techniques needed to create 2D artwork for video games. Topics include: digital painting for concept art, 2D asset creation for game engines, sprite design and animation, and matte painting.

Art and techniques of computer-based 2D animation, motion graphics, and compositing. Study of various digital animation techniques using multiple applications.

Study of the historical, cultural, economic, political, and social forces that helped shape the evolution of animation as an art form. Written and oral discussions focused on the attitudes and influences of race, gender, technology, culture, and the conflict between art and industry.

Fundamental principles and practices of user interface design and data visualization. Emphasis on the design of 2D graphical user interfaces and the development of applications that use them.

Introduction to user-centered design based upon usability research and testing. Topics include defining audiences, heuristic evaluations, and effective reporting.

Gameplay, storytelling, challenges, interface and information design, and world interaction. Construction of experiences, including rule design, play mechanics, game balancing, social game interaction, and the integration of interactive media. Playtesting and game design documentation.

Interactive game production using advanced development tools. Game production lifecycle and workflow pipeline. Group dynamics and communication skills. Integration and Design and development documentation.

This course provides insight into the process of creating game art for non-game art majors. Topics include digital painting for concept art, asset creation for game engines, art workflows/ pipelines, and how to present digital artwork.

Expanding on skills developed in IM230 Game Art Development, this course will be an artistic and technical exploration in the requirements necessary for designing and developing characters for real-time engines. Topics include: concepting for character art, sculpting anatomy, character rigging and animation, and character VFX.

Further explorations of the art and techniques of 3D computer animaMon. Emphasis on traditional principles of animation in addition to camera manipulation, rigging, and character animation core mechanics including walk cycles, expressions, and lip sync.

Advanced study of rigging for two-dimensional animation using a variety of techniques and software packages.

Examines scholarly concepts, theories, and practices about human communication, mass media, and computational digital technologies. Develops conceptual foundations derived from the cultural and commercial dimensions of media histories, technological innovation, professional practice, and contemporary/everyday phenomena. Provides increased and improved technical vocabularies and develops students' critical examinations of taken-for-granted media phenomena. Posits informed speculations concerning the future of media with particular attention to the roles of citizens, consumers, and producers. Applies intensive writing skills combining reading, study, and discussion with analysis and thinking via diverse written assignments.

Advanced and experimental interaction design strategies as applied to web & mobile/responsive application development.

Criticism, analysis, and history of electronic and non-electronic games. Articulation of game aesthetics. History of computers and digital games and toys, construction and critique of significant and influential games, and game criticism and journalism.

Application of Interactive game production techniques. Emphasis on refining and developing art, sound, and game mechanics as well as marketing and game release.

Course is repeatable for up to a maximum of 8 credit hours. Crosslisted with I M 226.

Advanced pre-production techniques used in the creation of an original animated short. Narrative structure development, research, concepting, time management, and technique development.

Topics course, with varying subjects, examining contemporary issues and problems in new media theory and the interactive media environment. Current topic/title in current schedule of classes. May be repeated three times under different topics.

Theoretical and practical sound design. Music composition, field sound recording, studio tracking, aesthetic analysis of music, electronic sound generation. Digital game technologies, 3D sound processing and generative audio structures. Mixing in non-linear environments and final mastering. Cross-listed with IM558, CIS458, CIS558.

Game development within multi-disciplinary teams. Project work includes advanced game design, software development, art asset creation, and game production concepts. Cross-listed with IM 559, CIS 459, CIS 559.

Research and exploration of traditional and non-traditional human-computer interaction. Students study, plan, design, and produce applications that seek out new or refine current trends in interactivity.

Individual scholarly research or advanced creative production investigating aspects of interactive media. May be repeated under different topics for a maximum of six hours. Requires application available from department chair or faculty.

Topics of special interest which may vary each time course is offered. May be repeated under different topics. Topic and prerequisites stated in current Schedule of Classes.

Presentations by faculty, alumni, and other professionals in the field. Repeatable to a maximum of 2 credits.

An exploration of issues and contemporary critical approaches to games through study and discussion. Topics might include feminism, semiotics, cultural criticism, and poststructuralism. Repeatable to a maximum of 6 credits.

Brainstorming, concepting and prototyping of core gameplay concepts followed by a proof of concept stage fleshing out the core gameplay. Repeatable to a maximum of 12 credits.

Game development within a multidisciplinary team. Project work includes advanced game design, scope control and reduction, software development, art asset creation, and game production concepts. Repeatable to a maximum of 12 credits.